Holy Water
by BarnOwl500
Summary: Sarah made a mistake and now Jareth can only watch as the consequences tear her up inside. Her family and friends are worried sick but Sarah won't confide in them; however, that doesn't mean they aren't going to do everything in their power to help her. Magic is worked and secrets are revealed and things may just work out after all. R & R PLEASE!


Author's Note: PLEASE READ! Soooooooo I have no clue where this came from and I am truly and sincerely baffled. This isn't my usual stuff, which you guys are aware of but this story started banging around in my head and I had to get it out. Apparently, my muse has a secret angsty side though right now I'm not sure if this is my normal muse or a new one.

Regardless, the song is called Holy Water by Big and Rich and is one of my favorites. Enjoy! Please?

I do not own Labyrinth!

Holy Water

Music played softly in the background as Sarah lay on her stomach on her bed. Her face was buried in her pillow as she tried to blank her mind of recent events but she wasn't really succeeding. The house around her was silent; everyone else having gone to bed hours ago. Sarah winced as the clock in the hall downstairs began to chime. 11 o'clock. She really didn't want to know the time, it being her enemy now more than ever, but the old grandfather clock was determined to do its job.

Sarah had come to dread the time when it came for everyone to go to sleep. Everyone who didn't have the troubles _she_ did anyway. The quiet hours of the night now haunted her. Where once she eagerly welcomed the night so she could dream of _him_ she now dreaded it; nightmares the only things waiting for her when she shut her eyes. The silence was almost smothering and Sarah wished the sun would just _rise_ so that there would be noise and activities that she could focus on besides replaying, over and over, her humiliation at the hands of, not the Goblin King or any other magical being (having met a few others over the intervening seven years since she was fifteen), but a normal, ordinary _human_.

Her lack of sleep was starting to be noticed by her family but she herself didn't notice their growing concern. This in itself caused them even more alarm since Sarah, Miss-Notices-Everything, had always seemed to be able to sense their unease about whatever was troubling them before now. Her grades were still holding steady but she knew if she didn't get some sleep soon they were going to start slipping. Sarah, who had turned her head to better listen to the song, buried her head back into her pillow as the memories came unbidden to her mind.

* * *

_Somewhere there's a stolen halo  
I use to watch her wear it well  
Everything would shine wherever she would go  
But looking at her now you'd never tell_

* * *

Ever since she'd gotten back from running the Labyrinth, Sarah had become much more responsible; taking all the lessons she'd learned during the intervening ten hours to heart. Now this didn't mean she'd let go of her belief in the fantastical; if anything, her trip only cemented her belief even more. As a result, Sarah could now See the magic in the world around her and had made several new friends among the Fae that lived among the humans in the Aboveground. Sarah had also kept in touch with her friends in the Underground as well; constantly calling on them even for no reason at all.

Once, after a particularly loud game of Scrabble, Karen had walked in to see why Sarah's room was so loud (not really believing Sarah's excuses about it only being the TV or radio). Everyone involved had frozen in horror; Sarah and her friends for getting caught, Karen because she'd just come face-to-face with the magical. Finding no good way to explain why there was a ten foot yeti, a dwarf, a talking fox, and several assorted goblins in her room, Sarah had ended up telling her father, stepmother, and Toby what had happened the night she'd wished Toby away.

They'd all taken it surprisingly well, Toby saying he remembered everything so this wasn't new to him, with only a little bit of yelling on Karen's part. However, since it was her baby Sarah had wished away, she was just reacting as any mother would so Sarah didn't hold it against her. Her father had simply said that since no permanent harm had been done then one slip up could be forgiven; just as long as she didn't do it again.

Sarah had no intention of doing it again.

That had been about five years ago now and Sarah's parents often found themselves hosting at least two fantastical creatures in their home at any given time from then on out; much to their bemusement. Since they couldn't See as Sarah could, several of the more powerful Fae who came to call on "Lady Sarah", as they called her, had taken to wearing glamours at her request. Those they couldn't see, mainly the goblins, were asked politely to behave if they started to cause trouble. Since it was Sarah's parent's house, this usually worked. Usually.

However, there was one Fae in particular that she hadn't seen or heard from in all the seven years since she'd run his Labyrinth. Jareth hadn't shown so much as a feather since then but that didn't mean Sarah didn't ask for updates on him. She did. Regularly.

It had gotten to the point to where whoever it was that was visiting at the time simply started with a report about the Goblin King. Sarah was a little embarrassed by this but she was grateful as well. It had taken her about a year after her run to realize exactly how much of a mentor Jareth had been to her and how much he'd taught her. Granted, his methods might have been a little strange but, overall, he'd taught her many useful lessons that she'd _needed_. And for that, she'd always be grateful.

As Sarah grew older, her feelings for him had begun to morph until they'd become something much more than mere _gratitude_. It got to the point that every time someone even mentioned him, she felt an ache under her breastbone and a great loneliness that grew over time. With each new story she heard about him, Sarah felt that she got to know him just a little bit more. She wouldn't say she loved him but she knew it wouldn't take much before she did.

It never occurred to her to call on him since she assumed that he wanted nothing to do with her after having been beaten by her. As it never occurred to her to call him, it didn't occur to anyone else to tell her that she _needed _to otherwise he _couldn't _come to her because of his defeat at her hands. As such, the loneliness grew until she managed to convince herself that if she found someone else then everything would be alright.

* * *

_Someone ran away with her innocence  
A memory she can't get out of her head  
I can only imagine what she's feeling  
When she's praying  
Kneeling at the edge of her bed_

* * *

Therein lay the problem. She'd attempted to find a _replacement_. And she had. Unfortunately. For a short time at least.

Jacob went to the same college she did and he had a lot of the same classes she did. He was tall, blonde, athletic, and reminded her an awful lot of Jareth. She just wished now that his cruel streak hadn't been quite so pronounced. They'd started out friends until one day he'd asked her out and, against her better judgment and the advice of her friends (magical not human), she'd said yes. It had gone well for several months and then he'd started hinting he wanted more. Jacob had said he loved her and she'd managed to convince herself that she was in love with him.

Funny how desperation makes you blind.

Jareth sat on a tree branch outside Sarah's window, watching her as she tried in vain to get to sleep. He was in agony over her pain and so far beyond _rage_ at the _boy_ who had hurt her. It didn't matter that she never called on him and probably never would. He would love her and watch over her until the end of his days; which would most likely be the same day hers ended. Just as Sarah asked for updates about him, he asked for updates on her and, as a result, had gotten to know her better, as well.

Another sob racked Sarah's body and Jareth stiffened as the mix of powerful emotions rushed through his small form again. Jareth literally shook with the need to completely _destroy_ that boy but he couldn't touch him. He was bound. Bound by his own mother who was his High Queen.

An unusual succession of calls had resulted in his being absent for well over a day and thus being unable to check in on Sarah. As a result, he'd been taking care of his kingdom while the events that were tearing Sarah's world apart had occurred; otherwise he would have done everything in his limited power over her to stop them. Because Jareth had been absent from Sarah's side, he'd found out what happened second hand from his sister, Dinah, whom Sarah had unknowingly befriended, once she was able to get in touch with him. His sister had disclosed all the details of the whole sordid mess to him.

Apparently, the boy had gotten close to Sarah on a dare to see if he could attain what she'd refused to give to anyone before then. He had and then he and his friends had bragged long and loud about it. What made it worse was that he'd won an obscenely large amount of money because they'd had people taking bets on whether he'd succeed or not. Sarah had become a laughingstock overnight and she could do nothing to escape the ridicule now coming her way. But Jareth was proud of her. She held her head high and acted like the queen she was in the face of all the jeers, catcalls, and lewd come-ons she was now receiving.

However, that wasn't the worst of it. A woman is to be treated gently in such things, no matter what, so as not to cause her undue pain, but, apparently, that _boy_ hadn't been taught how.

To say he was upset at these events would be a gross understatement. He'd flown into such a rage as to surprise even him. His sister, frightened at the strength of his outburst, had called their mother, Titania. She'd managed to get him calm enough to explain what had happened and, in his rage, he didn't conceal what he planned to do as soon as she left. Alarmed, his mother had told him he wasn't allowed. He'd laughed at that. They'd argued for a long time before she finally got tired of it and ordered him as his High Queen to do nothing.

When he'd asked why, in as calm a voice as he could manage, which wasn't very, she'd explained that that would be considered interfering in Sarah's life; something he couldn't do unless Sarah _wished_ for him to be a part of it. His mother had further explained that since Sarah had won against him, Sarah had to live a normal _human_ life and that this was the sort of thing that happened sometimes. It irked Jareth that he wasn't allowed to be a part of her life, despite the fact that so many others were,

Jareth could do nothing more than silently agree with his mother, who then left soon after. All the residents of the castle took shelter somewhere safer that night as he destroyed everything around him in his rage ('The humans of old knew better than to provoke a Fae into such high states of emotion,' He'd reflected later as he surveyed the damage he'd caused, 'And this is why.').

That had been a week and a half ago.

Sarah started singing along to the chorus of the song that was playing and Jareth let out a sigh of disappointment.

'Ah, Sarah,' He thought, 'I would love to but you must say your right words.'

* * *

_And she says take me away  
then take me farther  
Surround me now  
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water  
Holy water_

* * *

Jareth knew that Sarah's innocence had been irreparably shattered and if something wasn't done, she would never recover enough to trust anyone ever again. He continued to do his duties as Goblin King but every other spare moment was spent watching over Sarah. If he'd had lips at the moment, the smile he would have been wearing would have scared even the darkest of the Fae. He didn't have to work to be intimidating with a runner now.

* * *

None of her friends knew what happened. Not Hoggle. Not Sir Didymus. Not even her family. She hadn't called any of her friends, whether Above or Under, since all of this had started. They were most likely frantic after not hearing from her for so long but Sarah knew they didn't need to be involved in this. Sarah thought Karen might have suspected but she couldn't bring herself to tell her and she desperately wished she had someone to talk to. More sobs wracked her body.

* * *

Karen stood outside listening to Sarah cry as she had every night for the last week and a half. She _suspected_ what had happened, having gotten a call from Sarah's school that explained certain events happening on the campus, but she didn't _know_. Karen hadn't said anything to Robert. She knew if she did then her mild mannered husband was going to end up in jail for first degree murder. She herself had been having some surprisingly strong murderous urges on behalf of the daughter of her heart and it was breaking her heart to hear Sarah crying like this. Steeling her nerves, Karen opened the door.

Sarah and Karen stared at each other for a moment before Sarah broke down completely. Karen softly shut the door, so as not to wake Robert or Toby, before making her way over to sit on the bed next to Sarah and take the girl into her arms. She didn't push her to say anything and Sarah was grateful for it; but she knew that Karen deserved to know. Slowly, haltingly, Sarah began to explain the events that were causing her such grief. Karen couldn't help but cry with her as she talked.

Karen knew that there was nothing she could say that would make this any better so she simply sat and held Sarah as she cried. Eventually, Sarah drifted off into an exhausted, dreamless sleep and Karen carefully tucked her in so that she could get some much needed rest. Closing the door softly, Karen steeled her nerves for what she was about to do.

There was a little known fact about Karen that she made sure to guard carefully. You see, Karen was Irish and one of the Old Families.

When Sarah had told them about the night she'd wished Toby away, all the stories Karen had heard when she was a child came rushing back to her and caused her to panic. But she hadn't panicked because of what Sarah had done. Obviously she'd gotten Toby back safe and sound. No. The reason why Karen had panicked was because her family was one of the few left who still believed in the Fae.

They also tended to have the Sight; just like Sarah did.

Several of the older Fae still liked to hunt them for sport. A holdover from when a human having the Sight could get them killed should one of the Fae find out since a Sighted human could tell who was Fae and who was not. Sighted humans tended to have a bad habit of leading mobs to the doors of Fae families. As such, Karen was very careful to keep her gifts a secret.

So now Karen was on a mission to talk to a certain Fae king, despite how often she'd been warned against doing this very thing growing up and whether it got her killed or not, about her daughter. Karen knew the lore. She knew the consequences of what calling on of the Fae to her could mean. Karen also knew better than most what the Goblin King had done in that short span when Sarah had thought she was dreaming and so she suspected that there was more to what the Goblin King felt for her daughter than what Sarah knew.

Karen pressed her lips as she stood in the middle of her living room and prepared to call the Goblin King. She knew better than to wish Sarah away. That would only cause more problems than it solved and, unfortunately, there were certain rules and stipulations that had to be addressed when wishing someone away; especially an adult. Not to mention her own abhorrence at the idea.

Karen steeled herself as she prepared to say the words that would summon the Fae king that had once before been in her home without her knowledge.

"I wish the Goblin King would appear before me, right now," Karen said clearly and succinctly.

Sarah may have told them his name but that didn't mean she was going to use it. Karen waited patiently for the grand entrance Sarah had described to them but, instead, he merely stepped out of the shadows next to the window (She sighed in relief at the fact that he didn't think she needed to be intimidated any more than she already was). The Goblin King studied her for a moment before inclining his head towards her.

"Your Majesty," Karen said softly, respectfully, "I have called you here to discuss someone very close to my heart and, I suspect, to yours."

* * *

_She wants someone to call her angel  
Someone to put the light back in her eyes  
She's looking through the faces  
And unfamiliar places  
She needs someone to hear her when she cries_

* * *

Jareth studied the woman before him for a moment before inclining his head again in acknowledgement. He'd watched as Karen had held Sarah while Sarah told her what had happened and Jareth had found it even harder to hear the details from her lips rather than from his sister's. Jareth had held his rage down but only just. When Sarah had finally fallen asleep and Karen had left to come downstairs, he'd suspected she was going to call on him. He had recognized which family she was from.

"I suspected you might," Jareth replied, equally soft, "But there is nothing I can do in this situation unless you wi-"

"_No._"

The word was short and to the point and it summed up all of Karen's thoughts and feelings on the subject. Jareth merely inclined his head again but he was secretly pleased that Karen refused to wish Sarah away. However, this left them with very few options on what could be done and the two stood staring at each other.

Neither acknowledged that she'd interrupted him while he was talking.

"You love her?" Karen asked quietly.

"More than you understand," He answered.

Karen could easily believe it. The Fae were known for having a larger emotional scale than humans. Sort of like the Vulcans from that show, Star Trek, Toby loved. But unlike the Vulcans, who tried to control their emotions through logic, the Fae, for the most part, let them flow freely. Karen had heard that things could get rather volatile in the Courts. However, it was usually the younger ones who caused problems; the Elders having more practice in controlling their emotions so that their reactions to things weren't quite as violent. It didn't always work but at least they tried.

"Can you do anything?"

That was a loaded question, full of double meanings, and Jareth knew it. He let some of his frustration show.

"I can not," He all but growled, "The _Laws_ won't allow me."

Karen merely nodded her head in understanding but inside she wanted to scream with frustrated rage. Neither she nor Robert could do anything to the boy who had hurt their daughter so her only hope had been that the Goblin King would be able to get retribution for them. Unfortunately, he was bound by word and magic into impotence and so could do nothing; forced to watch the one who had hurt Sarah go about his business with no consequences, just as they were. Setting the matter of the boy aside for the moment she turned her attention back to Sarah.

"Can you help her?"

"I can do nothing unless Sarah makes a wish that I can interpret in such a way as to allow me back into her life," Jareth answered sullenly, "Because she won the struggle between us, I am unable to be a part of her life. Her victory has cursed her to live a normal human life for all that she can now See and talk to us."

Jareth looked rather pointedly at Karen but she ignored him.

"I will not try to convince her to do something that she may regret," Karen said firmly.

"I would not ask you to," Jareth conceded.

As much as he might wish she try, he would not ask her. He didn't ask her friends to try over the years to convince her to wish to see him and he wouldn't ask her family now. The thought of Sarah's friends made him wince. They knew something had happened to Sarah but they didn't know what and no matter how much they'd pleaded, he'd refused to tell them. They'd then gone to ask Sarah herself but she was blocking them. Her friends now despondently went about their days as they waited to see what the outcome of the situation would be.

* * *

_And she says take me away  
then take me farther  
Surround me now  
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water  
Holy water_

* * *

Understanding passed between mother and Goblin King. They were at an impasse. There was nothing either of them could do to make the situation better but they had had to try for the sake of someone they loved. Karen bowed her head before turning and making her way up to bed with a heavy heart. Jareth watched her go before making his own way back out to the branch he'd been sitting on. He jerked as he alighted on the branch as Sarah sang along with the chorus to that song again. Apparently, it was set on repeat.

* * *

Sarah watched Karen leave her room but didn't say anything. She'd woken up when Karen had tried to put her to bed, thinking she was asleep, but Sarah had only been dozing. She sighed as she snuggled under the blankets and tried to go back to sleep but it was no use. Insomnia set in once more. Sarah sat up as a sudden sense of foreboding struck her. Magic wafted through the house and she shivered as she recognized it but she was afraid to get up and see if she was right. Sarah wondered briefly if Karen had wished her away but since she wasn't sitting in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City with goblins trying to entertain her she highly doubted it.

The sense of magic didn't leave and eventually Sarah lay back down again. She didn't know who had called him, though she suspected it was Karen, but she was too ashamed to see if he really was here. Sarah didn't want him to know how weak she'd been. A sudden unbearable sense of longing hit her and she cried out softly at the force of it. She didn't know how long she lay there trying to breath through the pain in her chest but, eventually, the pressure dissipated and air came freely to her lungs once again. Karen's soft tread sounded outside in the hall before moving off to her own room.

Sarah's mind drifted to the topic it had wanted to ponder for the past seven years. For the first time she let herself wonder why she hadn't seen Jareth in the years since she'd run his Labyrinth. She'd seen everyone else she'd met, at one time or another, during her run and had even made some new friends, including his sister though she didn't let on that she knew who Dinah was, but she hadn't seen him. Sarah sat up as she pondered on this, suddenly feeling like she had to know the answer to that question but she didn't have anyone to ask.

Feeling more like herself than she had in a week, Sarah began to pace about her room as she tried to figure out this riddle. She knew she knew the answer. It was there somewhere in all the lore she'd heard or read about and the stories her friends had told. Sarah knew the reason why Jareth had never come around was _there_ but she just needed to find it. Grabbing several of her reference books on Fae lore Sarah began to search, hoping that something would trigger the memory she needed.

* * *

_She just needs a little help  
To wash away the pain she's felt  
She wants to feel the healing hands  
Of someone who understands_

* * *

Dinah stood a little ways down Sarah's street, staring at where her brother sat in the tree outside the mortal girl's window. Her gaze shifted to said window and her expression tightened. Things were not always what they seemed, even here in the Aboveground. After Titania had paid a visit to Jareth, she'd then paid a visit to Dinah and explained several things about the old Laws, magic, and a few other pieces of information that were rather obscure.

Most of it was completely convoluted with clauses and exceptions dependent on several _other_ clauses and exceptions which then had their own set of variables to be considered and so on and so forth but Dinah managed to follow along pretty well. She was Fae after all. Being convoluted was their bread and butter.

What she'd finally gathered was that Sarah had managed to hit every single obscure high point she could during her run. This in turn tangled her in a web of consequences so confusing that it had taken years and many headaches before her mother's best scholars had been able to figure out what had happened to the girl.

Because Sarah won against the Labyrinth, she was able to go home with no more influence on her life by anything from their world. She was able to go back and have a normal human life with maybe a few more gifts than were usual. Or else she should have. That was the ideal situation anyway.

Unfortunately that outcome had been knocked out of the running as soon as Jareth had pulled his stunt. I.e. That he'd given her Fae food, sung her a Fae song ('A love song no less,' Dinah thought in disgust.), and he'd danced with her in a Faery Ring. All of things separately would have been cause for Sarah to be adopted among them but all of them at one time shoved so much raw magic into the girl she should have become a Fae by the end of the year.

However, because these events had taken place during her run through the Labyrinth, whatever happened at the end of Sarah's run, whether she won or lost, took precedent. If Sarah won, then she would be allowed to keep some part of her run, nothing to the extent of what the consequences of doing all of the above mentioned would usually be but some part, and the magic her body absorbed while in the Underground would have been sealed so that it would no longer affect her. However, if she lost, then the magic would have still been sealed but her memories of her run would also have been locked away.

Obviously, Sarah won but the Labyrinth had apparently decided it wanted her as its Queen; so it gave her a few extra gifts. What no one was able to predict was that the affects of eating Fae food, having a Fae song sung to her, and dancing in a Faery Ring couldn't be fully sealed away (Since nothing like this had ever happened before, the scholars could only guess at what the final outcome would be). As a result, Sarah gained several traits of the Fae themselves as well as her Sight but the transformation into a full Fae was stunted by the automatic seal placed on the magic in her body. Dinah had scowled at her mother once she'd gotten to this point.

"So what you're saying is that everyone wanted to keep her so badly that they took steps so they could, but they did it during her run through the Labyrinth which runs on completely different rules than everyone else so the results ended up being all screwed up. Right?"

Her mother had nodded that this was about right which only made her scowl harder. Before Titania had left; however, she'd given Dinah one more piece of information. Titania wanted Jareth to be happy with the woman of his choosing just as much as anyone else but the ancient Laws were very clear on what happened if you interfered in the life of a mortal who had beaten the Labyrinth. So, to keep Jareth from doing something stupid, she'd ordered Jareth to take no action and while that meant _he_ couldn't do anything that didn't mean Dinah couldn't.

"Belief works both ways."

Dinah scowled again. Those were the last words Titania said before she'd left. It had taken Dinah forever to figure out what that meant but she finally had and so here she was, with several others, getting ready to try out her crazy plan. They were always taught that the semantics of how magic worked were very difficult to understand when it was actually very simple. Magic came from belief and just as Sarah's belief in their existence made them stronger, their belief in her should help heal her wounded heart.

"Thank goodness her heart's not as fragile as ours," Dinah muttered. Louder she said, "Alright guys lets do this thing."

* * *

_And she says take me away  
then take me farther  
Surround me now  
And hold, hold, hold me_

* * *

Sarah stared at the book she held, unable to believe that it was so simple. The passage in front of her hadn't given her the answer but it had triggered a memory from years ago; right after she'd gotten back from her run. Hoggle and Sir Didymus had come over one day, along with several others, and while Sarah had been occupied with the Fieries and goblins, those two had been over in a corner discussing something rather heatedly. She remembered Hoggle saying something about Jareth before Didymus had shushed him. They'd argued a little more before she'd heard Sir Didymus say, "The rules are the rules and as much as I hate that they're keeping him away from his Lady, and she him, she must _wish_ for him."

Hoggle hadn't looked happy but he'd conceded and left it alone after that. Sarah, who had only been half listening, had simply shrugged and forgotten about it but now she wondered if they'd been talking about _her_. There was only one way to find out. Sarah jumped as the clock downstairs began to chime midnight. Licking her lips Sarah prepared to say her right words. Everyone froze as two words rang out before Sarah finished singing the last few lines of the song. The last chime sounded and the house was silent once more.

"_I wish…_"

_And she says take me away  
then take me farther  
Surround me now  
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water  
Holy water_

Sarah had closed her eyes but she smiled at the hand that she suddenly felt on her shoulder. A breeze touched her face and she opened her eyes to see the Labyrinth stretched out before her. It was just as beautiful as she remembered. But that wasn't what she wanted to see right now. Turning, Sarah looked behind her and her breath caught when she saw him. Jareth was smiling at her in such a way that told her he knew everything that had happened and he was sorry for her pain. Shame welled up under her breast but she squashed it down. She wasn't going to let it ruin the gift she'd been given. Sarah tentatively smiled back to let him know she understood but smiles weren't what she wanted right now either.

Whirling around, Sarah threw her arms around his neck and clung to him while Jareth held her just as tightly. Her voice was muffled but he heard her just fine.

"I'm sorry."

"I know," he answered quietly, "But it's alright."

They stood quietly for a moment.

"I love you."

"I know," She answered, "I love you, too."

_And she says take me away_

_Then take me farther_

_Surround me now_

_And hold, hold, hold me like holy water_

_Holy Water_


End file.
